Sharks Accompany Ahab’s Boat
As Ahab’s boat pulls away from the ship, ravening sharks rise from the water to snap at the oar blades, accompanying the boat through the chase—a phenomenon the crew notes has not occurred since they first spotted the white whale.
Whale Sounds, Crew Holds Position
The crew of Ahab’s boat maintains strict silence as they move toward the whale, while Starbuck watches from the Pequod, tormented by visions of his family and a growing dread of the chase’s impending end.
Moby Dick Surfaces Near Boats
The crew receives a signal from the mast-head that Moby Dick has sounded, and holds position near the spot to intercept him when he resurfaces; moments later, the whale breaches obliquely from the sea, shrouded in a thin veil of mist.
First Failed Attack on the Whale
Ahab orders his crew to give way and attack, but the freshly wounded, enraged Moby Dick rams the boats, spilling irons and lances from the mates’ vessels and damaging their bows, while leaving Ahab’s boat almost unscathed.
Parsee’s Corpse Found on the Whale
As Moby Dick swims past the boats again, the crew spots the half-torn, lacerated body of the Parsee lashed to the whale’s back, his distended eyes fixed on Ahab, proof that the prophet’s earlier prediction of accompanying the whale to Ahab’s death has come true.
Ahab’s Grief Over the Parsee
Ahab is devastated to see the Parsee’s corpse on the whale, recognizing it as the “hearse” the Parsee promised him, and he mourns the fulfillment of the prophet’s dire prophecy even as he resolves to continue the chase.
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